Quick Stats

Quick Stats

You are here

Wesco Launches Proprietary Debit Card

New card offers discounts on gasoline.

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- In an effort to reduce fees from credit card transactions while still offering benefits to customers, Wesco, a 51-store regional chain, has introduced its proprietary debit card.

"As gas prices rise, our fees rise," Rachelle Osborn, information technology director for Wesco, told the newspaper. "We want to have pay-at-the-pump convenience for our customers but we are now paying more for that."

To offer the debit card, Wesco has partnered with San Mateo, Calif.-based Debitman Card Inc. to produce cards that are tied to a customer's checking account. Although banks can still charge consumers a fee for using such cards, Debitman told the Muskegon Chronicle that it has yet to see any institution levy such a fee.

When using the card, customers will receive a 2 cent discount on the price per gallon at Wesco stores. Stores also benefit with the use of the card, as it only charges a 15 cent flat fee per transaction, instead of a flat fee plus an additional percentage of purchase price tacked onto the initial fee.

In addition, in-store purchases will be a part of Wesco's rewards program that will be introduced later this month, Osborn told the Muskegon Chronicle.